ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
India Bangladesh Ship-to-Ship LPG Transfer begins, opening connectivity between SMP, Kolkata and Mongla Port, Bangladesh
Kolkata, 20th March, 2022
On Saturday, 19.3.2022, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata opened a new chapter in cargo handling by commencing Ship To Ship  operation for LPG cargo bound for Bangladesh. Apart from ushering a new beginning in the Indo Bangladesh relation, it will also open connectivity between Kolkata Port and Mongla port of Bangladesh where the LPG cargo is bound for.
STS operator M/s Pace Marine Solutions Pvt Ltd approached SMPK with such a proposal in the month of October/November 2021 post commencement of successful operation of STS for LPG and other liquefied cargo bound for Haldia. Apart from SMPK , Calcutta Customs played a proactive role by permitting such operations in a time bound manner.
VLGC M T MIURA carrying 11666.335 MT of propane and 32848.804 MT of Butane from Trincomallee , Srilanka anchored at Sandheads at about 1330 hrs on 19.3.22 and on completion of customs formalities commenced discharging cargo at 1706 hrs in LPG barge SENNA 7. The operation will continue with four such LPG barges loading from M T MIURA and discharging at Mongla in a merry go round manner. M T MIURA will act as a Floater for LPG Cargo. In foul weather condition such operation will be undertaken at Sagar.
The STS operation involving Flaoter and LPG barges was being undertaken at Indonesia earlier and SMP, Kolkata is the First Major Port in the Country for undertaking such operation within its limits, said Shri Vinit Kumar, Chairman, SMP, Kolkata. Port will earn vessel related and cargo related charges from the said operation. As a startup venture Port has provided its Tug for towing and placing Yokohama fenders for safe berthing of vessels in the sea, said Shri Kumar. The Tug will also act as a Fire Float.
For successful commencement of the STS operation of LPG at Sandheads for cargo bound to Bangladesh ports, Shri Vinit Kumar, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata thanks Customs, M/s Pace marine solutions , M/s Ocean Sparkle Limited and other agencies who are a part of the operation.
CG/CB/
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Ministry of Defence
DRDO conducts successful flight test of Akash-NG
- Second successful flight test in three days
- Capable of intercepting high speed & agile aerial threats
- Force multiplier to defence capabilities of Indian Air Force
- Raksha Mantri congratulates DRDO
Defence Research and Development Organisation  conducted a successful flight-test of New Generation Akash  missile from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha at 1145 hrs on July 23, 2021. The test was carried out against a high-speed unmanned aerial target which was successfully intercepted by the missile. The flight test has validated the functioning of complete weapon system consisting of the missile with indigenously developed RF Seeker, Launcher, Multi-Function Radar and Command, Control & Communication system. The test was carried out amidst inclement weather conditions proving the all-weather capability of the weapon system.
The system performance was validated through the data captured by a number of Radar, Telemetry and Electro Optical Tracking systems deployed by ITR, Chandipur. A team of Indian Air Force Officers witnessed the test.
On July 21, 2021, the missile was successfully flight-tested without seeker meeting all the mission requirements.
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1737532
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Air Force and the Industry on the second successful flight test of Akash-NG in a span of three days. He said the development of this state-of-the-art missile system will prove to be a force multiplier for air defence capabilities of Indian Air Force.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams for successful trial of Akash NG which is capable of intercepting high speed and agile aerial threats.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Smart city missions Integrated data dashboards being used at Command and Control Centers to monitor COVID-19
Smart Cities of Pune, Surat, Bengaluru and Tumakuru are using the integrated data dashboards, developed by the data analysts and data experts working with their ICCCs  to provide up-to-date information about the status of corona virus in different administrative zones of their cities.
Pune: Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited  has collaborated with Pune Municipal Corporation  to develop an integrated data dashboard  in the city’s efforts to fight the global pandemic of corona virus. Each case of the city has been mapped using geo-spatial information systems and city administration is monitoring the areas and creating buffer zones where patients were diagnosed positive with COVID-19 infection. Using heat-mapping technologies and predictive analytics, the city administration will develop a containment plan and the containment zones get reflected on the dashboard. The healthcare operations at the city’s “Naidu Infectious Disease Hospital” are tracked at this facility. The Smart City’s integrated dashboard also monitors the quarantine facilities and tracks the health of suspected patients and their contacts placed under home quarantine.
Surat: Surat Municipal Corporation has published an online dashboard on its municipal website to provide regular updates to the citizens. In addition to providing the overall statistics on tested, confirmed, active, recovered and death cases, the dashboard provides the trends and patterns on the spread of COVID-19 within city, in terms of cumulative cases , number of new confirmed cases reported , age-wise distribution of cases, zone-wise distribution and gender-wise distribution. Spatial Mapping of the affected areas is made available to citizens on this page. See the dashboard at https://www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/others/CoronaRelated. .
(Bengaluru and Tumakuru
BBMP has set up a ‘war room’ to use technology to conduct surveillance on people within 8-km radius of a confirmed patient, so as to contain the spread of the virus.
Leveraging the COVID-19 dashboard, the war room of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike  the Municipal Corporation of Bengaluru publishes a daily bulletin on trends in the spread of corona virus. The date-wise, zone-wise, hospital-wise, age-wise and gender-wise details are maintained at the war room and published on a day to day basis.
Integrated Command and Control Centers  as COVID-19 War Rooms
As COVID-19 War Rooms, the Integrated Command and Control Centers are implementing the initiatives such as CCTV Surveillance of Public Places, GIS Mapping of COVID Positive cases, GPS Tracking of Healthcare workers. Predictive Analytics  for virus containment across different zones of the city, Virtual Training to Doctors & Healthcare professionals, Real-time tracking of Ambulances & Disinfection Services, Medical Services through Video Conferencing and Tele-Counseling and Tele-Medicine.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Dr. Harsh Vardhan distributes woolen blankets, masks and soaps among the destitute staying in Vishram Sadan, AIIMS, New Delhi
“IRCS has deployed more than 40,000  trained volunteers in more than 500 districts across the country and has contributed immensely in reducing the impact of COVID-19”
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare distributed woolen blankets, masks and soaps among the destitute persons staying in Vishram Sadan at AIIMS, New Delhi yesternight. Shri R. K. Jain, Secretary General, Red Cross Society, Prof. R. Guleria, Director, AIIMS and other senior officials of AIIMS were also present on the occasion.
In his address to the audience at the ceremony, the Union Health Minister thanked the Indian Red Cross Society  for taking the initiative of distributing blankets for the people in need during the ongoing cold season.
Dr Harsh Vardhan recalled that the IRCS has committedly helped people in need since 1920 and has a rich history of humanitarian endeavours. Their work is not limited only to disasters and emergencies, it also regularly carries out various social development activities. Red Cross supplemented the efforts of government during Lockdown helping those who got stuck in Lockdown and also ensured blood availability throughout the pandemic, he stated.
Talking about the challenge posed by COVID19, the Union Minister highlighted that the vaccine for the prevention of COVID19 has been approved and the Government of India have already started the largest vaccination drive in the world. He also stated that, the fact that the vaccine is developed indigenously, “shows the great capacity our country has and is a big boost to the Prime Minister’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative”.
In appreciation of the IRCS’s active role in reducing the impact of COVID-19, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated, “it gives me a sense of pride that IRCS is playing an important role in the fight against COVID-19. The multidimensional response with a broad range of activities by IRCS for the ongoing COVID-19 emergency is testimonial of IRCS’s capacity as an organization and moreover, the commitment & relentless services by our volunteers. IRCS has deployed more than 40,000  trained volunteers in more than 500 districts across the country and has contributed immensely in reducing the impact of COVID-19”.
The Minister ended his address by thanking all volunteers, partners, both within and outside of the movement, stakeholders, members and all other who have directly, indirectly contributed in IRCS’s humanitarian agenda as the largest statutory & humanitarian organization in India.
Ministry of Finance
Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to lead a team of Secretaries, GoI for discussions at GIFT City, Gandhinagar tomorrow
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, will lead a team of seven Secretaries from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corporate Affairs to discuss matters of development and growth of India’s maiden International Financial Services Centre  at GIFT City, Gandhinagar on 20th November, 2021. The Ministers of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary and Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad would also be joining the discussions.The discussions will focus on
- The role of GIFT-IFSC as gateway to global financial services for Indian corporates within India
- Attracting global financial business to India and
- Growth as Fintech global hub.
The Union Finance Minister will also be visiting key infrastructure facilities at GIFT City and interacting with various stakeholders/entities having presence in the IFSC. The visit underlines the commitment of GoI towards developing GIFT-IFSC as India’s premiere financial services centre and dominant gatewayfor global financial flows into and out of India. The discussions will bring together a confluence of ideas and strategies for faster development of GIFT-IFSC which was created with the vision of onshoring offshore financial activities and thus embodies the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
In pursuit of the vision, collaborative efforts have been made by GoI, Government of Gujarat, GIFT City and International Financial Services Centre Authority , the unified financial sector regulator for GIFT-IFSC, to provide world class financial regulations, vibrant infrastructure, competitive tax regime and a plethora of opportunities for exploring innovative and diverse financial products and services such as aircraft leasing, bullion trading and global in-house centres. With some of the best-in-league infrastructure for incubation of start-ups in the form of Fintech accelerators and lab and with global events such as ‘IFSC Beyond Boundary Fintech festival’ and hackathons being on the anvil, GIFT-IFSC is rapidly emerging as a thriving Fintech hub in the region.
Special Service and Features
Two postal parcels containing 105 MDMA tablets worth Rs. 5.25 lakhsseized by Chennai Air Customs at Foreign Post Office.
Based on information, Chennai Air Customs seized two postal parcels containing MDMA tablets whicharrived from Netherlands and France at Foreign Post Office, Chennai.
The first parcel arrived from Netherlands and was addressed to a Guntur  based person. On opening, agreeting card “HOERA! JIJ BENT JARIG” written in Dutch meaning “HURRAY! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY" was found inside. Inside the card one opaque silver plastic pouch containing a ziplock packet was found in which50 blue colour tablets marked as “Jurassis”, suspected to be MDMA,valued at Rs. 2.5 lakhs were found inside.
The second parcel had arrived from France and was addressed to a Nagercoil based person. On opening a ziplock packet containing 55 skull shaped pink colour MDMA tablets of “MB MYBRAND” valued at Rs 2.75 lakhs were foundinside.
Total 105 MDMA tablets worth Rs. 5.25 lakhs were recovered and seized under NDPS Act, 1985
Further investigation is in progress.
This is stated in a press release issued by the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Dr Jitendra Singh to present National e-Governance Awards, 2019 tomorrow
Awards to be given in 6 categories to recognize achievements in the area of e-Governance
With a view to recognize and promote Excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives, the Government of India presents National Awards on e-Governance every year. The Union Minister of State  of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, will present the National e-Governance Awards, 2019 here tomorrow .
The Awards will be given in 6 categories to recognize achievements in the area of e-Governance. This initiative also seeks to disseminate knowledge on effective methods of designing and implementing sustainable e-Governance initiatives, to encourage innovations in successful e-Governance solutions and to exchange experiences in solving problems, mitigating risks, resolving issues and planning for success.
The National e-Governance Award recognizes some of the best Government to Government , Government to Citizen , Government to Business  initiatives taken by government departments. It also recognizes initiatives in Start ups, Academic Research Institutions as well as initiatives in adopting emerging technologies.
The six categories under which Awards will be presented are as follows:-
- Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering for Digital Transformation.
- Excellence in providing Citizen-Centric Delivery.
- Excellence in District level Initiative in e-Governance  North-East States + Hilly States  UTs   Other States.
- Outstanding research on Citizen Centric Services by Academic/Research Institutions.
- Innovative Use of ICT in e-Governance solutions by Start ups [Start up as defined by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion  Government of India]
 Excellence in Adopting Emerging Technologies.
Gold and Silver Awards in each category will be presented. A Special Jury Award is also being presented in Category-I for IRCTC Rail Connect Mobile App. This Event along with the Exhibition is a forum to showcase best practices, innovative technologies and ICT solutions. The Event includes an experience sharing session on some of the awarded initiatives such as: -
- IRCTC Rail Connect Mobile App
- UMANG
- MDDA ERP
- Punarvas
- Hello Doctor 555
- Wind Power forecasting services for the State of Tamil Nadu
- Ultra Resolution UAV based Geo ICT enabled Property Tax Management System for Municipal Area of Bhiwani
The focus is on Citizen Centric Services and application of technology for encouraging development. It is hoped that the exposure will help in digital transformation of the country by replication of some of the projects.
The Event is expected to be attended by a large number of delegates from Government of India, State Governments, Industry, Academia, and Private Sector.
Special Service and Features
“The port to be established at Tiruvottiyur Kuppam will provide employment to 8,000 people” says L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
A port is being set up at Thiruvotriyoor Kuppam in Tiruvallur district at an estimated cost of Rs. 200 crore with the contribution from the Central Fisheries and Fisheries Development Fund , which is functioning with an objective to enhance the quality of life of the fishermen community and the financial assistance from the Government of Tamil Nadu. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Mr. L. Murugan inspected the works at the site personally today and reviewed the works under progress.
Discussing with the authorities, he reviewed the works being carried out on the ports at various areas including Thiruvotriyoor, Tharangambadi and Nagapattinam districts in Tamil Nadu. The Union Minister asked the authorities to expedite the works relating to the ports. He said the port, to be set up in Thiruvotriyoor Kuppam, could provide direct and indirect employment to 8,000 people.
He also said that the sponge farming program, which is being carried out with the assistance from the Central government, should be expedited and proper training should be imparted to fishermen and fisheries farmers.
He asked the officials about the status of the works under execution in Tamil Nadu under the Matsaya Sampatha Yojana scheme. Mr. Jawahar, Additional Secretary, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Tamil Nadu and Mr. Palanichamy, Director, Fisheries Department were present during the review meeting.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment visits Samba
As a part of the outreach programme of Government of India, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar, today, visited district Samba and inaugurated a Rural Haat at Swankha Vijaypur. He also held interaction with delegations besides paying obeisance at Baba Chamliyal Shrine at Zero line border in Ramgarh of District Samba.
Dr. Kumar, while inaugurating the Rural Haat in presence of Member Parliament Jugal Kishore, said the initiative of Rural Haat shall promote financial self reliance of rural population in the district by establishing a sustainable system of marketing of the local produce through rural markets.
Rural Haat has two phases in which Zone A is presently having kiosk/sheds for displaying rural products, while in proposed Zone B provisions for developing food court, bamboo gateway village art, village chaupal, etc and a parking lot has been conceptualized.
Later, the Union Minister visited the Zero Line of Border tourist place Baba Chamliyal, a revered shrine of Dalip Manhas popularly known as Baba Chamliyal.
During the visit, the Minister interacted with various delegations of local sarpanches, youth organizations, PRIs and Border Welfare Organization besides locals.
The delegation members expressed gratitude towards the visiting Minister for visiting their locality for the first time and were hopeful that all their genuine demands shall be appropriately addressed after the intervention of the visiting union minister.
The Minister also interacted with District Administration Samba and exhorted to ensure 100% saturation of central sponsored schemes like Ayushman Bharat, PMAY, Jal Jeevan Missions, Scholarships and other social security schemes.
The Union Minister also visited forward posts and interacted with BSF troops stationed at the BOP Chamliyal.
The minister was accompanied by Advisor to Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Farooq Khan, Secretary Social Welfare Sheetal Nanda, DDC Chairman Keshav Dutt Sharma, DIG BSF Surjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner Samba Anuradha Gupta, Vice Chairperson DDC, and local BDC Chairperson besides other DDC members and district officers.
Ministry of Railways
Central Railway AC local carries 49.47 lakh passengers from April 2023 to June 2023 – registers revenue of Rs.23.36 crore
: Mumbai, July 12, 2023
There has been an overwhelming response to passengers opting for AC local on Central Railway. Central Railway AC locals have carried 49.47 lakh passengers from April 2023 to June 2023 and registered revenue of Rs.23.36 crore.
A) April to June Quarterly average number of passengers and earnings
|
|
S.No.
|
|
2022-23
April to June
|
|
2023-24
April to June
|
|
Percentage increase
|
|
1.
|
|
Total Passengers
|
|
26.60 Lakh
|
|
49.47 lakh
|
|
53.77%
|
|
2
|
|
Total Earnings
|
|
12.16 Crores
|
|
23.36 Crores
|
|
52.05%
|
|
3
|
|
Monthly Average Number of passengers
|
|
8.86 Lakh
|
|
16.49 Lakh
|
|
53.73%
|
|
4
|
|
Monthly Average Earnings 
|
|
4.05 Crores
|
|
7.78 Crores
|
|
52.06%
- Daily average number of passengers and earnings
|
|
S.No.
|
|
2022-23 April to June

|
|
2023-24 April to June

|
|
Percentage increase
|
|
1.
|
|
April Month
|
|
19766
|
|
50103
|
|
39.45%
|
|
2
|
|
May Month
|
|
31085
|
|
56315
|
|
55.20%
|
|
3
|
|
June Month
|
|
36811
|
|
56615
|
|
65.02%
|
|
4
|
|
Total Number of Passengers from April- June
|
|
87662
|
|
163033
|
|
53.77%
|
|
5
|
|
Daily average number of passengers
|
|
29221
|
|
54344
|
|
53.77%
|
|
6
|
|
Daily average Earnings 
|
|
13.35 Lakhs per Day
|
|
25.65 Lakhs per Day
|
|
52.04%
C) Penalty Imposed on Ticketless Passengers in AC Local
|
|
S.No.
|
|
|
|
April to June 2022
|
|
April to June 2023
|
|
1.
|
|
Number of Ticketless Passengers in AC Local
|
|
4903
|
|
9593
|
|
2
|
|
Penalty imposed on above Ticketless Passengers in AC Local
|
|
Rs. 17.79 Lakhs
|
|
Rs. 31.92 Lakhs
Presently, Central Railway runs 56 AC services with 4 rakes on its suburban section. Besides offering a safe and cool ride, travel by AC local has also become economical especially after slashing of fares a year ago.
In addition Railways have also facilitated First class Quarterly, Half yearly and Yearly season ticket holders to travel in AC EMU by paying the difference of fare between first class quarterly, half yearly and yearly season tickets and AC quarterly, half yearly and yearly season tickets for the entire period irrespective of the days left in First Class Quarterly season ticket, Half Yearly season ticket and Yearly season ticket.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Morocco on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Agreement between India and Morocco on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
Benefits:
The Agreement will provide a broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation between India and Morocco in investigation and prosecution of crime, tracing, restraint, forfeiture or confiscation or proceeds and instruments of crime. It aims to increase effectiveness in investigation and prosecution of crime, and in providing the necessary peaceful ambience which is a pre-requisite for the development of society as a whole. It will further be instrumental in gaining better inputs and insights in the modus operandi of organized criminals and terrorists, which in turn can be used to fine-tune policy decisions in the field of Internal Security.